Archive for December, 2013

With the advent of the new hockey arena opening, ice-skating has become something that all SUNY Potsdam students can enjoy again. On November 4th I was able to take to the ice again, something that I was not able to do since my freshmen year. The arena was packed full of excited students and the line to get free skate rentals went out the door. Even with the line, the majority of people who came were able to skate and everyone who went had a blast.

I not so nimbly skated on the ice with my arms swerving trying to keep my balance and watched as many other students did the same. All the students in the arena had a blast as many took to the ice showing off their new skills, or gripping the wall attempting to stay up. Those skaters who were quite skilled were more than happy to lend a hand to lift someone up or give tips on how to skate.

Overall, the opening of the hockey arena for open skating is a great thing. It allows SUNY Potsdam students a time to have a lot of fun with friends and learn a new skill. With free rentals and costing nothing but time, why wouldn’t you want to go? The arena has open skating on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15-11:00 P.M. It is a great opportunity and it is one that I will certainly be taking advantage of this year.

One of the reasons I picked Potsdam was its location. I come from a small town near Rochester; it’s a little ways away from the actual city, but still close enough that whenever I turned on the news, I’d hear about one violent crime or another. When I would go up into the city for something, I was always told to stay in a group so that nothing would happen. To be honest, that got a little disheartening after a while. In Potsdam, there’s something really comforting about opening the newspaper, reading the police blotter, and seeing the most serious event being “helped locate lost dog“ or “routine traffic stop“. Sure, we have other incidents, but they happen so infrequently that it’s like they almost never happen. Another great part of the school is that everybody is friendly—I can rarely go anywhere without someone waving and saying hello or holding the door open. Even when I’m in town, all the people on Market Street are really kind, and are almost always striking up casual conversation.

Sure, you may argue that Potsdam is in the middle of nowhere. And if you’re looking for a place where there is actually a major city in a 10-mile radius, this is not the place for you. But the campus is fun and so is the area, especially for those who enjoy nature, want to escape a hectic city life, or maybe just don’t want to be near a city. Potsdam is near the Adirondacks, which means that there’s lots of hiking (or just nature-observing) that you can do, too.

In conclusion, Potsdam is pretty awesome if you’re looking for a safe small town to dwell in, or if you maybe just want to be around nice people. After all, nice people are, well…nice. It’s a good environment to live in, and lets you focus on your schoolwork instead of focusing on safety. SUNY Potsdam’s location really is great!